FestivalScope.com is offering cinephiles free access to discover emerging filmmakers from two of the world’s most respected film showcases through a pair of curated online programs featuring award-winning shorts and promising new voices from across Europe, North America, and Asia.

Currently available for a limited time, the selections come from this year’s edition of Cannes Critics’ Week (Semaine de la Critique) and New Directors/New Films 2026, the long-running showcase organized by Film at Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. Both programs have built reputations for identifying filmmakers long before they become household names on the international festival circuit.

Semaine de la Critique 2026

Dedicated to first and second works, Semaine de la Critique has served as a launching pad for emerging directors since 1962. Festival Scope’s curated selection presents four shorts that reflect the diversity and innovation championed by the Cannes sidebar.

Leading the lineup is I Think You Should Be Here (2026), a 12-minute short by Anna-Marija Adomaityt and Élie Grappe from Switzerland and France. The film follows seven young women reflecting on adolescence through TikTok dances and digital memories.

French filmmaker Laïs Decaster’s Love Story (2026, 42 min.) takes an intimate look at modern relationships. Blending documentary and fiction, the film unfolds through conversations among friends as they navigate romance, heartbreak and emotional support.

Also featured is The Sentinel (2026, 29 min.) by acclaimed French-Lebanese filmmaker and visual artist Ali Cherri. Set during Bastille Day, the short follows a soldier granted one night of freedom from military duty, and he embarks on a surreal journey that gradually blurs the line between reality and imagination.